From: MMBA Lobbyist Sarah J. Psick
The April 30th deadline set by Speaker Zellers for the Legislature to adjourn sine die has come and gone.
The Legislature met in House and Senate Floor sessions several times this past week and will return again on Monday, May 7th. This will be the 116th day of the biennial legislative session.
There are two deadlines that will decide the end of the session: (1) The Legislature can meet for 120 legislative days. A "legislative day" is only a day when either the House or Senate meets on the Floor. So, they have five legislative days remaining; or, (2) the Minnesota Constitution requires that the Legislature adjourn sine die on Monday, May 21st.
The three big issues that are the stumbling block to resolving the 2012 legislative session continue to be a tax bill, a bonding bill and the Vikings stadium issue.
Vikings Stadium: While the headlines in the paper and the top story on the evening news has been the Vikings stadium issue, no votes or hearings were held on the bill this week.
Vikings fans have begun spending a lot of time at the Capitol talking to legislators and urging their support of funding a new stadium. A Vikings decorated van was parked on the Capitol grounds for most of the week complete with tail-gaiting by Vikings fans. Even the tour groups of school children on field trips to the Capitol this week contained many kids wearing their Vikings jerseys.
Mid-week, House and Senate Republicans considered an alternative plan for the funding of the stadium by proposing to fund the state's portion of the project with up to $250 million of general obligation bonds. This plan would provide funding for the basic infrastructure of the stadium and allow it to be built "roof ready".
As the week progressed, it was determined that this proposal would not go forward and the proposed funding method continues to be the use of electronic pull tabs and bingo run through charitable gaming. The House of Representatives has stated that the stadium bill will be debated and voted on in the House on Monday.
Tax Bill: This week, both the House and Senate passed the conference committee report on the omnibus tax bill and sent it to the Governor. The bill eliminates the inflationary adjustment for the statewide property tax, includes an angel investor tax credit, provides a research and development tax credit, and eliminates the monthly accelerated sales tax payments - keeping the June accelerated payment.
On Friday, Governor Dayton voted the bill. In his veto letter, the Governor reiterated his opposition to using any funds from the budget reserve for the current biennium. He stated that while he supports some versions of the tax credits in the bill, he proposed funding those credits by adding the Affiliate-Nexus provision and closing tax "loop holes".
It is possible that a second omnibus tax bill will be worked on and passed in the final days of the legislative session.
Bonding Bill: The Legislature has yet to pass an omnibus bonding bill and send it to the Governor this session. Typically, the even-numbered year of the biennium is a "bonding" year, but putting together a bonding bill that will receive the necessary three- fifths vote in the House and Senate has been a difficult task this year.
The Governor has proposed a bonding package which includes $750 million in general obligation bonds for state wide and local projects. On Friday, the House was poised to vote on a bonding bill that provides $496 million for state funded bonding projects, including renovation of the state Capitol. The House recessed with the intention of taking up the bill around 6:15 p.m. However, as the evening progressed, it became clear that the bill would not be considered and the House adjourned until Monday.
While these three issues dominate hallway discussions and headlines, other issues are moving through the legislative process.
Several bills were either signed or vetoed by Governor Dayton this past week:
* Omnibus Game and Fish Bill: Governor Dayton signed the Omnibus Game and Fish bill which provides an increase in hunting and fishing license fees. This increase was widely supported by hunting and fishing advocates and will provide funding to the DNR to support various services.
* Omnibus Environment Policy Bill: Governor Dayton signed the Omnibus Environment Policy bill which makes changes to help control the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS), and streamlines and coordinates water management and water planning in Minnesota.
* LIFO (Last In First Out): Governor Dayton vetoed the bill which would change the method of determining teacher lay-offs by switching from the most common seniority based method to a system of teacher evaluations. Governor Dayton stated that the evaluation methods have not be tested and the bill was not reached through an agreement with the teacher unions and the advocates for the bill. House and Senate Republicans had pursued this bill as one of their key initiatives this session.
* Omnibus Legacy Appropriations Bill: Governor Dayton signed the Omnibus Legacy Appropriations bill which provides funding to the outdoor heritage fund, and modifies the clean water fund, arts and cultural heritage fund, parks and trails fund, and environment and natural resources fund.
* Legalizing Fireworks: Governor Dayton vetoed the bill which would legalize the sale and use of additional types of fireworks in Minnesota. In his veto message, the Governor stated that it is the government's responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of its citizens. He also cited the opposition of approximately 50 organizations. On Friday, the Senate attempted to override the Governor's veto. However, the vote fell short of the necessary votes needed to successfully override the objections of the Governor.
Next Week: When the Legislature returns to the Capitol on Monday, the intention is for the House of Representatives to vote on the Vikings stadium bill. The result of this vote could signal whether the legislative session will continue and legislators will keep working, or if the session will end without resolution on that and other issues.
